August and Ponchos

[Harters2WDW]

We have gone the past 8 yrs in August. A poncho is a must. We tried the dollar store ponchos and they stunk!! Felt like wearing a garbage bag. They were not long enough to cover our backpacks or the seat of your pants if you are on ride. plus they ripped too easily. We carry our Disney ponchos every trip. fold them up into a little shopping bag and in the back pack or stroller they go. We have a stroller cover too- that is a must. We survived Tropical storm Fay with the ponchos. We have had disney replace ripped ponchos with no problem -- even really old ones. Not sure if they still do so.


I also love a good pair of sandels over sneakers bc walking around in wet sneakers for days is no fun. I lived in my Teva's for 11 days of Fay's rain and had not a single complaint where as DC had sneakers and they were soaking wet.

We pack a spray bottle -- fill with water and freeze or fill with ice and water. DH enjoys spraying us down during the day- feels good too.

STandby times are usually misleading-- if it says 20 mins its walk on. WE did TSM one year- first thing in the morning- we usually just do FP but DH wanted to do standby- it said 90 mins- we were literally on and off the ride in 20!! it was amazing.

A spare pair of shoes/sandels-- I got DS a new pair of sandels- apparently they were not wide enough for his wide feet and the poor child ended up w/ blisters on his feet the first day in the first few hours. DH and DS went back and grabbed his sneakers. Make sure if you have any new shoes wear them for a wk or so before the trip.

Ziploc baggies are great for the bag you are carrying- quicker thru the security bag checks too.

Bring extra memory card and batteries-- having to buy them in the park is $$$


That's all I can think of but I am sure I will remember more in a few!

GREAT info!! Keep it coming as you think of it or just PM me! March is so mild and I know August will be a different beast. Great tips on the wait times! What week do you usually go?

 

[bookgirl]

My biggest tip for the heat.


Park Hoppers.

I'd go out first thing in the morning, hang until noonish. Eat Lunch then head back to the room for the hottest part of the day, or plan to do indoor activities (shopping, etc). Then around 4 or 5 I'd head back out, ususally to another park and do an evening round of rides.


The middle of the day was just dreadful, and with hoppers I just had more freedom to take breaks and split up my optimum outdoor exposure.

 

[Harters2WDW]

My biggest tip for the heat.


Park Hoppers.

I'd go out first thing in the morning, hang until noonish. Eat Lunch then head back to the room for the hottest part of the day, or plan to do indoor activities (shopping, etc). Then around 4 or 5 I'd head back out, ususally to another park and do an evening round of rides.


The middle of the day was just dreadful, and with hoppers I just had more freedom to take breaks and split up my optimum outdoor exposure.

Glad to hear I am on target. We were planning mid-day breaks for naps, pool, etc!

 

[disneyobessed]

CHeap ones rip....some of the rides (I remember the Great Movie Ride in particular) make you take them off too.. so the more you take them on/off they rip.. Last August we had 3 straight days of rain on and off.... We ended up buying them in the Parks by the second day.. Plus I always am the one that gets soaked on Kali River Rapids so I wear it on that too.. somthing about walking around in soaking wet shorts/underwear just isnt for me..

Bring an extra set of shoes too.. we were in a villa so we would put our sneakers in the dryer and wear our sandals while they dried.. HAVE FUN!!

 

[Aristocath]

Sounds like I am in the minority here but I would never buy those cheap, dollar store ponchos to wear and throw away. But recycling is really important to me and I couldn't live with the guilt of throwing away all that plastic. Crazy, I know but it is just the way I am. We bought the Disney ponchos and they lasted two trips so far for my husband and I. We did have to get new, larger ones for the boys for our last August trip. One of my sons ripped his on a ride and they kindly replaced it for us. We are "expert" poncho rollers and roll them up and our boys keep them in their cargo shorts. I also do not recommend wearing flip flops in the rain because wet feet slide in them. My Keens worked well.

We love going to WDW in August! Or any time of year, really!

 

[Harters2WDW]

Sounds like I am in the minority here but I would never buy those cheap, dollar store ponchos to wear and throw away. But recycling is really important to me and I couldn't live with the guilt of throwing away all that plastic. Crazy, I know but it is just the way I am. We bought the Disney ponchos and they lasted two trips so far for my husband and I. We did have to get new, larger ones for the boys for our last August trip. One of my sons ripped his on a ride and they kindly replaced it for us. We are "expert" poncho rollers and roll them up and our boys keep them in their cargo shorts. I also do not recommend wearing flip flops in the rain because wet feet slide in them. My Keens worked well.

We love going to WDW in August! Or any time of year, really!

How much are the Disneg ponchos? Looks like need to do some shoe shopping!

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

I think the Disney Ponchos were approx $8. Definitely worth every penny!! WE have been using the same ones for years.

If you have a Villa-- washing laundry is awesome-- less clothing to bring. Drop a load in before you leave and throw it in the dryer when you get home aahh I mean back at the villa. We tend to think the villa is our 2nd home! I do bring a small bottle of laundry detergent and stain remover spray and a ziplock baggie of dryer sheets.

We don't go back to the resort mid day- to me that is just a waste of time. our kids stroller slept. IF i got them on the bus they would fall asleep on the bus and wake up when it got to the resort. We go every August and find places to stay cool-- wether it is walking thru the shops or finding a cool spot to hang out. We do find time to swim in the evenings.

Definitely make use of the FP's. We had 7 in our group last August. Dh would get 2 FP for Tower of Terror and 5 for Rockin' Roller Coaster. DS12 would ride TOT by himself twice and then meet up w/ DS11 and myself to ride RNR - we used a set of FP while he was on RNR. It was great to ride them on FP instead of Standby. DH would take the DS4 and DD8 and hang out at Playhouse disney show. We also split up for Space Mtn too.

Make use of the EMH AM-- we were able to knock off a ton of rides- in MK we can do all of Fantasyland and Tommorrow land (use to be able to add Toon town too) and have lunch by noon. last yr we did DHS. Dh went to grab FP for TSM and I took the DC to Star Tours. We waited for DH to rejoin us. We were tempted to ride bf he got there but wanted to experience the new ride with him. We rode 10 times in a row before the lines got too long. We literally got on , off and back on again! We also grabbed FP when we were eligiable to do so. IT was great bc we got to see how many different experiences we could find.

At EPCOT-- check out Character connections-- Innoventions west (I think). DH took the older kids on Test track and DS4 and I headed to get FP at Soarin' Walking past the window for the Character Connections DS4 noticed the characters (this trip was all about meeting anyone he could). To his surprise and mine- Goofy came up to the window and was playing with DS4 thru the window. We quickly grabbed our FP and headed back to Character Connections. - Dh eventually met up with us and we all got to meet the Characters. We had Pre ordered the Photopass and there were Photopass Photographers there - DS4 was in his glory !!

IF you can preorder the photopass. Sooo worth it. We have been doing it for a few years now. We made a point to find any photopass photographer that we could. AK has a character spot w/ Pooh and friends -entrance is across from Flame tree. We have used many of the photopass pics as our Christmas card and in our photobooks. IF you have a table service that offers a picture (ie Chef Mickey). IF you purchase the photo at the restuarant they can add that pic and all taken to your photopass card.

The restrooms have 'magic' potties-- autoflushers-- we would use post it notes on the eye to keep it from flushing too soon. It worked wonders! Make use of the Baby Centers. Nice place to cool off and take care of the younger ones. The whole family is invited in. I used a quilted crib cover-- it is quilted rectangular -has ties on the end-one side is waterproof. I carried them to use on the changing tables. better than the vinyl ones plus I dropped it in the wash at the end of the day.

Table Toppers are livesavers for little ones-- they are the plastic table toppers that can stick to the table top. Much better to put the little ones food on then on the table itself. Target sells them. We also used disposable bibs too. -- I am a huge recycler but could not bear to carry around a bunch of dirty bibs on vacation. Kids size silverware too-- makes them able to eat better on their own.

hope these help. I will probably remember a few more soon!

 

[anonymouscactus]

Just bought 8 emergency ponchos at Wal-Mart yesterday, in Orlando... The ones at the front when you walk in were .87... the ones in the camping section (a different brand) were $.88... I saved $.08! (+ tax on that $.08!)

 

[DawnM]

Disney no longer replaces ripped ponchos.

 

[Harters2WDW]

Disney no longer replaces ripped ponchos.

Good to know!